That was cool. I couldn't get the first one to play. The I'm sorry to say that the Dementia 13 slide show was the best though. I really like that song. If anyone else wants to see it search for Brad Warner on You Tube or go here if the link works

You don't like Brad's laughter when he quotes Nishijima, docretro? Why is that? Clearly, it's not meant to be disrespectful (unless you actually believe that Brad is purposely dissing his teacher). Or perhaps it doesn't sound manly to you. Not sure what your beef is.

I used to do that all of the time during conversations (giggling after every sentence), until my sister said that I shouldn't because it made me sound "wimpy." So now I try not to do it, but I usually can't help myself.

I think, in Brad's case, it is endearing and it humanizes him--especially for those of you who just read his words and think he must be a jerk. Then again, if you think he's just mocking his teacher, you might think he's even a bigger jerk now.

Anyway, that's just my interpretation of what I thought your interpretation was.

Demolishing the World Trade Centerand blaming a few Saudi patsies, sothat the US can proceed with itsmanifest destiny toward global,full-spectrum dominance via energyreserves in Central Asia and theMiddle East (while enabling theIsraeli State to do as it pleases):

I think the snorting/laughing response to Nishijima's replies is natural and appropriate. It shows appreciation for the irony of the situation. The questioner and the audience expect a "deep" reply to the "deep" question, but the reply is simple, direct, and obvious in retrospect. Like the punchline to a joke. You look back and say, "Of course," and then laugh.

I woke up this morning and flipped on the TV. Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey was on.

Bill and Ted Robots were on stage dancing like...robots, and the crowd was getting down.

Then Bill and Ted gave a little motivational speech before they really started rockin' out. They pretty much said (I will not give a full quote, because my memory is not so accurate) that the best place to be is the "here" and "now". Then they start jamming again with the lights flickering and the Bill and Ted robots dancing.

It was a pretty cool reminder of the Brad's talk yeserday, when he mentioned the similarites between Zazen and a Kiss concert.

I'm the guy who wrote those questions to Nishijima Sensei that Brad is talking about in the second video. I'm glad that those questions were useful. I just want to clarify the context a little bit. I am a priest candidate in the Church of Sweden, and also a Dharma heir of Nishijima Sensi. Me and Sensei are working on a kind of dialogue book on Buddhism and Christianity, and these questions were part of that work. Actually, they are a kind of summary of the questons I often get from other Christians when I lead zazen in churches etc. I am not trying to make Sensei say something mystical, but I just wanted to in a clear and direct way ask a number of common questions.

Anonymous: Maybe the book you mean is Karl Menninger's "Love against Hate". He has also wrote "Man against Himself", and Sensei likes both of them very much.

Dear anonymous, Re: "Is it just me or does it sometimes seem that Zen Buddhists arepenny-wise and pound-foolish?"

Yes, it's true that the devastation of countries by war is more important than where and how you choose to relieve yourself. On the other hand, one you can control yourself, while the other is mostly something you can watch from afar and talk about on the internet.

The problem with thinking that fighting for world peace is more important that lifting the toilet seat is that it gives you an excuse to ignore the little thing when in reality most things are little thing. Even if your fighting for world people it's still just doing one little thing at a time. Isn't it?

Thanks, Brad. Linking Zen to sports hit home with me ... much of my running is trail running, an activity that requires total concentration on the present moment simply to keep from busting your ass. I've come to think of my trail running as a valued extension of my meditation practice, because many of the underlying experiences are very similar.

I figured I wouldn't have the time to watch all of the clips of your talk, but after starting I made time. Thanks again.

You may want to look more into myspace. As far as marketing goes, it can be a really great place to promote your upcoming book. You can send a message to each of your "friends" comment sections at once, and all their friends will see the add. Then it just grows into this gargantuan networking web. I've discovered many great authors through myspace that I had no clue of through visiting the pages of friends and other authors I like.

yo brad, speaking of punk rock and 'hardcore' have you ever thought of teaming up with jay bakker? he's one of the other few cats i think really "gets it" (whatever the hell that is)and though you both use different languages to communicate, i feel its still the same message coming across. but then again, i could be completely full of shit.darn. have a nice day! ^_^

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